Fiorentina vs Napoli: Gli Azzurri struggle without injured Osimhen as European dream fades away

Fiorentina vs Napoli: Gli Azzurri struggle without injured Osimhen as European dream fades away

Ifeanyi Ufomadu 21:59 - 17.05.2024

Napoli settled for a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina, a result that all but ended their hopes of playing in Europe next season.

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Napoli's European dreams almost dead without Osimhen

Napoli missed a chance to move into the Europa Conference League spot after a 2-2 draw against Fiorentina.

The visitors opened the scoring when Amir Rrahmani found himself unchallenged in the box, heading home Matteo Politano’s corner.

Two rapid goals just before halftime completely changed the game. Cristiano Biraghi scored a precise free-kick, hitting the underside of the crossbar past the unmoving Alex Meret.

This was his sixth set-piece goal out of his last eight. Shortly after, sloppy defending allowed M'Bala Nzola to steal the ball in the opponent's half and score, extending Viola's lead.

Despite their dominance, the hosts were pegged back to level terms just before the hour mark when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s stunning free-kick rivalled Biraghi’s for quality, beating a diving Pietro Terracciano to fly into the top corner. 

Napoli's faint hopes of European qualification are still alive despite their winless streak of six matches.

This season marks the first time since 2008/09 that they will finish outside the top seven in the league.

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